UCLA Basketball Making Strides on Recruiting Trail

The Visitor

Let's start with the player visiting, as that seems to signal a more immediate impact. UCLA is getting a visit from North Oconee (GA) shooting guard Justin Wise this weekend. Wise is a 4-star recruit in the 2027 class, and reports indicate his visit will happen on Sunday, June 21.

Wise is a consensus top-100 recruit in the nation, ranking among the top 11 players in Georgia and top 13 shooting guards in his class. At 6-foot-4, he has solid length for the position, and pursuit from several other programs shows he has the potential to become an elite player at the next level.

He has 13 Division I offers, including schools like Tennessee, Miami (FL), Cal, Texas, Clemson, SMU, and Georgia. Georgia is the only team to have received an official visit from Wise, as he traveled to Athens in late February 2026.

The Offer

Wise isn't the only UCLA target we got an update from on Monday. The Bruins are now also after 7-foot-3 IMG Academy center Dylan Betts, a 5-star 2028 recruit. Betts is originally from Engelwood, CO, but transferred to IMG after his freshman season at Cherry Creek (CO) High School, where he averaged 7.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Betts is a consensus top-10 player in the 2028 recruiting class and would be a huge addition for the Bruins, especially with frustration growing around the team's recent performances. Fellow Big Ten power Purdue often makes waves with recruits of this size, and Betts would be a great answer.

UCLA will have plenty of competition for his services. He already has 10 scholarship offers, with Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Florida State, and USC among those involved. However, UCLA has one distinct potential advantage over other suitors. His older sisters, Lauren and Sienna, were and are part of the UCLA women's basketball program, and Lauren in particular had a historic career for the Bruins.

Dylan Betts may want to join his siblings in Westwood, but he may also want to build his own legacy elsewhere. Still, extending an official offer his way is a positive step for the program and shows UCLA is still in the hunt for some high-end recruits.